A series of One-Shots
by israelianbabe15
Summary: Chapter One: Autopilot. Rating may vary, so let's just rate it M to be safe. Pairing is always Zibbs, because I cannot handle anything else.
1. Autopilot

A/N: I'm an idiot. I continuously promise to write more and here I am, back from yet another stupid writers block... so, let's start something new. Give me words, just words I need to write stories for. I'll probably use this story as a place to collect all these one-word-prompts. One per chapter or so. Maybe, if the stories are shorter, I'll put more than one per chapter. We'll see, but you know, I kinda need a bit of inspiration^^

 **Autopilot.**

Eat.

Work.

Sleep.

Repeat.

Yes, this is Leroy Jethro Gibbs' life now. It has been for years, but more recently, it has become more obvious and therefore more excruciating. Ever since Ziva left the team, Jethro has been feeling numb. Every day seemed like just another chore to get through. It was as if the young woman flipped a switch in him, putting him on autopilot as if leaving a permanent mark – a scar, if you will. Nothing about his day was exciting him anymore and even his basement had become unappealing. How one woman, one he hadn't even had the closest relationship with, could change his life so drastically was a mystery to him. Well, not having the closest relationship with someone does not technically mean that he didn't want there to be more. He just hadn't gotten around to that.

It had been inappropriate for a while, with her brother just having died at her own hand and her joining his team so soon after. Then they had developed some kind of awkward little friendship, that was often mistaken for a father/daughter like dynamic by people who met them. Of course that wasn't helpful. Then she had been in a few sticky situations and so had he, which brought them closer while somehow pushing them further apart.

Then, obviously, there was that whole Dinozzo thing. He should have sent him to Mars or somewhere – Tony and Ziva's dynamic was way too much to handle sometimes. Jethro promised himself he would never interfere with her relationships though – it wasn't his place. Though, if that boy ever hurt his Ziver, he would get what he deserved. Seriously. Gibbs' boots have never been so firmly launched up someone's ass, but there is a first time for everything and Tony's not-good-enough-for-Ziva ass was just the right place to send a pair of boots. Okay, that might be bit of a tortured metaphor, but he's never been that good with words. In his mind, that plan seemed rather lovely – not for Tony, but that was the idea, right?

And of course we can't forget that Ziva, too, mentioned that she thought of him as a father, which made it extra creepy to even entertain a thought of her as more than a member of his team, or a friend. It also scared him off of ever telling her how he felt. Can't run the risk of destroying a good friendship over something that is destined to go wrong anyway. She seemed to have chosen Dinozzo, that damn little boy.

When had he started to feel about Tony this way? Around the time when the flirting between his two agents become too much to handle – about a year or so after Ziva joined the team. It all started with just a little 'stupid Tony!' in a dream Jethro'd had, where they were all children and Ziva was a toy Dinozzo had stolen from him. Very mature, really, Gibbs.

Franks had only laughed when he found out about the whole thing. Apparently, being made out of mostly caffeine makes you talk in your sleep, which can get very embarrassing when you're sharing a tiny beach shack with your former boss and tend to have borderline pornographic dreams about young Israeli women under your supervision. 'Don't ever share a room with her, Probie.', he used to laugh, 'She'll know in a heartbeat...' Good advice from a good friend.

Of course, it never really came to that. Suddenly, years later but still, she was gone. She had officially left the team, kissing Tony goodbye and leaving Jethro with yet another scar. Not a physical one, of course, but it did seem like she had drained him of a whole lot of life force. Sure, barely anyone had noticed the change since he had always been rather distant and emotionally cold, but to him it felt like the whole world had changed.

What was he to do? Just keep on living. Don't let it affect him. Hire someone new. Learn to accept that she's gone. Learn to like Tony again. Just keep on living. Breathe.

Eat.

Work.

Sleep.

Repeat.

A/N: So, this was the first one. Remember to put some suggestions in the reviews and maybe, if you feel like it, tell me how you liked this one. Hope you all have a great day^^


	2. Überraschungsei

Überraschugsei – Kinder Surprise Egg.

Babysitting was not his thing. He was good with kids, of course, but actually spending a whole weekend taking care of a child without having a case to work on had become more of a chore than he had anticipated.

Tony's and Ziva's daughter was playing in his living room and a slightly annoyed Gibbs had already been forced to participate in not one but two damn tea parties. Tea in itself was a mystery to him, but tiny cups without any tea in them at all, which had to be held a certain way? The last time he had actually enjoyed one of those things was when his own daughter was still alive.

Bad train of thought. Moving on.

The little girl sitting across from him on one of his pillows on the floor was not what he had expected. For a child that had grown up with Ziva and had basically watched her own mother die only months before, she was way too – shall we say – okay. She hadn't asked for her mother since she moved in with Dinozzo and her overall attitude was way too chippy. In what world was that kid traumatized?

Maybe it was just the detective in him, finding irregularities in everything and getting a bit paranoid in the process, or maybe it was just wishful thinking – part of him couldn't help but wonder if Ziva was still alive.

He had decided to let the evidence speak, hoping it would soothe his paranoia, his hopes. Having Abby do several DNA tests might have been overkill, but for some reason, he didn't trust the initial results.

Phone vibrating, saving him from his tea party nightmare, Jethro got up off the floor and took the call in the kitchen. No need for Tali to listen to this conversation.

'Yes, Abbs.'

'Gibbs! She's not theirs! All the tests were negative! How did this even happen? Who fooled me the first time? Who's kid is she anyway? Gibbs! Are you listening to me? Gibbs! How did you know?'

'Call you back later, Abbs.'

He stared at the child sitting on his floor. How could this happen? Who was she? If this part of the story wasn't real, was Ziva's death?

''Chocolate?''

He hadn't even noticed she's walked over to him. Her English was still lacking, but so was her overall ability to talk anyway. Abby had brought over some treats earlier, trying to make his house more child-appropriate and Jethro reached for an egg shaped chocolate thing first, handing it to the girl.

''Careful, there's a toy inside, Abby said.''

Her eyes lit up with excitement as she took the egg and started peeling off the wrapper. The chocolate was gone more quickly than he had expected and for some reason, Tali started playing with the small, yellowish container inside. It was supposed to contain the toy, but the kid didn't much care – the container was more interesting.

Well, she wasn't just a part of his babysitting duties anymore – she was a case now. The day had just gotten more acceptable.

He took the container from her for just a second, opening it to give her the toy inside – there was none. The kid looked at him with sad eyes and tried to get the container back. Of course – the container was much more interesting than any toy that could have been inside. Taking out the small piece of paper he had found inside, he closed the container and gave it back to Tali, who went back to playing on the floor. He watched her for a bit, making sure she wouldn't think to try eating the little yellow piece of plastic, but she lost interest soon and went back to drinking imaginary tea with her dolls.

It was the perfect time to take a closer look at the piece of paper, but he wasn't prepared for what was written on it.

\- I'm coming home -

TBC

A/N: So, here's another story. I was going to do one-shots, but somehow this turned into a two parter. Still going in the collection, because it was meant to.

No, the words you can suggest don't have to be in alphabetical order^^ Just random words you might think of :)

Hope you liked this part :) part two is soon to come^^


	3. Überraschungsei 2

Überraschungsei – Part 2

 _\- I'm coming home -_

Ziva's handwriting. His Ziva was alive. How she had managed to get that note in there was beyond him, but she was his favourite ninja after all – she had her ways.

A few days had passed since he had found the note and the team had soon located Tali's real parents back in Israel. She had been kidnapped by someone they were yet to find and no one was quite sure how the the first batch of DNA tests could ever have been positive, but Gibbs' team wouldn't stop until they found the culprit. Ziva hadn't turned up yet either, which had Gibbs worried. She would be fine, of course, she could take care of herself – and she always kept her word. A night in his basement would do him some good – clear his mind, get a new perspective...

As he walked downstairs, Jethro couldn't help but wonder when Ziva would turn up and how. She used to always have a thing for his basement, meeting him here more often than any of the others, for more diverse reasons than anyone.

Of course she had slept with Tony, it had been inevitable. One time – it had been a one time thing, she had explained, a goodbye of sorts. Gibbs and Ziva had been involved before she left, but they had agreed to keep it secret as it wasn't much more than a sexual relationship anyway. They weren't dating – Rule 12 existed for a reason. A fight, the night before she left, had been their downfall.

 _'You can't just leave when shit hits the fan!'_

 _'What is keeping me here, Gibbs? Tell me! What?'_

He should have told her to stay for him! But he hadn't had an answer for her, so she had left. At this point, he was pretty sure telling her to stay for the team would have done the trick as well, but he had really, really wanted to tell her to stay because of him. Somehow, he just couldn't. She needed time, a lot of time, and she needed to spend that time alone. Some things can't be avoided.

Sleeping with Tony might not have been her smartest move after that, especially since she knew, deep down, that Gibbs only wanted her best, but it had been a long time coming. Tony had always been a possibility for her, but she had never really entertained the thought of being with him for a long time. Jethro was a whole different story. She had feelings for him that she would never really be able to explain to anyone, but he understood – she was sure of that.

Their whole 'sexual thing' had been a good beginning and neither Gibbs nor Ziva had ever questioned the validity of their actions in the long run. They would have ended up telling everyone. Rule 12 would have been retired, or worked around maybe. His fifth and final marriage might have been the result of all of that.

Reality had gotten in their way and Ziva had left. What would her coming back lead to? Would they still be a good fit?

The light squeaking of one of the steps behind him ended his reverie and he quickly turned around. Seconds later, a very happy Ziver found herself pinned against the stairs by a rather eager Jethro – it had been a while and he was determined to fuck all thought of Tony right out of her mind. Yes, that was the plan for now. Then of course they would solve the case somehow and afterwards, everything would finally be back to normal.

She'd spend night after night in his bed.

He'd actually start making breakfast again.

They'd make out in elevators and cars and MTAC and corners and basements and quiet corridors and copy rooms and …

They'd just see where things go.

The End

A/N: Okay, yes I am now caught up on NCIS. I hate the recent developments, so here you go. My brain can't deal with Tiva and I will actually never accept that any of that stuff is canon. The whole situation with Ziva dead and having a kid with Tony and all of that – it's like NCIS has turned into a soap opera!

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter^^

Do you have some words for me now? :D


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